Thread moistening device



March 6, 1934. Q PQKORA THREAD MOISTENING DEVICE Filed May 3,' 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l BY N M57* l ATToRNEYs.

March 6, 1934. C, PQKORA 1,949,620

THREAD MOISTENING DEVICE Filed May 5, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A TTORNEYRY Patented Mar. 6, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 9 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in thread moistening devices. In the knitting industry, and particularly in the knitting of wearing apparel, such as stockings, from silk thread, l it is essential that the thread be kept in a properly moistened condition to insure satisfactory results. Heretofore various unsatisfactory methods have been employed for moistening the cops of silk. One method consisted of dipping the silk l in the water before it was delivered to the knitter. This was objectionable clue to the fact that the silk frequently dried out before it was placed on the machine. Another method employed was to use saturating jars and boxes, in which the silk l Was dampened only on the surface or on the lower portion, leaving a considerable quantity of silk dry. A further method now used consists in having the thread pass over wet rollers. In this method the silk passes so rapidly that it is l0 dampened only on the surface, leaving the core dry. Another makeshift method was to retract each cone from its mounting and dip the same into water.

--It is one of the objects of the present invenl5 tion to overcome the above-mentioned objectionable features of the old methods of conditioning thread by providing an improved thread moistening device in Which all of the cops of thread may be simultaneously moistened in a very thorough '80 manner with practically no loss of time.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a thread moistening device which is particularly adapted for use in connection with fullfashioned knitting machines. A further object 36 of the invention resides in the provision of a device of the class described which permits the use of cotton thread together with the silk thread, but which is adapted to moisten only the silk thread.

A more specic object of the invention is to provide a thread moistening device having a plurality of perforated jars for supporting the cops of silk and having other unperforated jars for supporting cops of cotton, and having means for simultaneously admitting water to said perforated jars to moisten the silk.

'A further object of this invention is to provide a thread moistening device which is com- 50 paratively simple in construction, efcient in operation and well adapted for the purpose described.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of the improved thread mois- 4i5 te'ning device and all its parts and combinations same reference numerals designate the same -v parts in all of the views, Fig. l is a sectional view through the improved device, showing how it is mounted on the cone-board, of a full-fashioned knitting machine, parts being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the device mounted on the cone-board, parts being broken away;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional View taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional detail view of one of the silk jars, parts being broken away; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional View taken on line 6 6 of Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 8 designates a cone-board of a full-fashioned hosiery knitting machine, the said board having its lower side reinforced with a layer of metal 9. Mounted on one end of the cone-board is a supporting .por-

itl

tion 10 having a U-shaped lower portion 11 which Y embraces the edge of the cone-board, and which is secured thereto by a bolt 12. Journaled in the portion 10 is a shaft ll carrying a rigidly mounted gear 12 and a crank handle 13.

Brackets 14 extending from the lower portion of the cone-board have a shaft 15 journaled therein, the said shaft carrying on one end a rigidly mounted gear 16 meshing with the gear 12 on the shaft 11. The shaft 15 also carries rigidly mounted bevel gears 17.

Mounted on the top of the cone-board is a bottomless outer shell 18, which is preferably formed of glass so as to render it transparent, the said shell having lugs 19 extending therefrom through which bolts 20 extend to secure the shell to the cone-board. The exterior of the shell is concave and convex. At each end, the interior of the shell is formed with a double recessed portion 21.

Extending along the top of the cone-board Within the shell is a bracket member 22, preferably formed of metal, which has upstanding end portions 23 shaped to fit Within the double recessed portions 21 at each end of the shell. The upstanding portions 23 are formed with internally threaded bores 24.

The screws 25 have their upper ends rotatably positioned in the upper portion of the shell above the double recessed portions and extend through the internally threaded bores in the upstanding end portions 23 of the bracket 22. The said son screws extend through openings in the coneboard and have their lower ends provided with rigidly mounted bevel gears 25, which are in engagement with the bevel gears 17 on the shaft 15. Collars 27 near the upper ends of said screws serve to limit the upward movement of the end portions of the bracket.

Positioned on the bracket 22 is an inner receptacle 28 for holding the moistening rluid. The said inner receptacle is shaped similarly to the outer shell and is also preferably constructed of glass. A plurality of jars 29 are positioned within the open upper portion of the shell. The said jars are provided with flanges 30 which hold said jars in suspended position within the shell above the water receptacle. Bolts 31 and winged nuts 32 are employed to hold said jars rmly in position. Each of said jars is further provided with a cover 33 formed with a thread opening 34. The said covers iit around shoulders 35 on the upper portions of the jars.

The two end jars, in the form of device shown, are employed for holding cones of cotton, and are therefore unperforated. The said jars have cone-shaped supporting members 36 extending from their bases, over which the cones of cotton are adapted to be positioned. All of the jars are provided with a depressed portion 37 in their base, the cone-shaped supporting members 36 in the cotton jars extending upwardly from said depressed portions.

The other jars are arranged to hold cones of silk, and are provided with a plurality of perforations 38 in their sides and bottoms. The said jars are also provided with special cone supporting members 39 (see Figs. 5 and 6) which extend upwardly from the depressed portion 37 in the base. The said supporting members 39 are each formed with a central bore 40, which is enlarged as at 41. Within said enlarged portion, on each side, are spring locking members 42 secured at their lower ends by screws 43,

'and having their upper end portions semi-circular in cross-section. A locking rod 44, having a curved head portion 45, has its lower end 4formed with surrounding recesses 46. The said rod is adapted to be inserted through the top of the paper cone 4'? around which the thread 48 is wound, and to pass between the spring locking members 42, the upper portions of the latter engaging the recesses in the sides of the rod to lock the same in place. The head of the locking rod fits against the top of the cone to prevent upward movement thereof when water is admitted to the jar. The lower portion of the thread is adapted to rest on a perforated sponge mat 49.

The bottom of the iluid receptacle 28 is provided with a petcock 50 which extends through the space 51 between the side of the outer casing and the edge of the cone-board. The said petcock permits draining ofv the uid when desired. When the devices are put in use a series of them may be arranged longitudinally of the cone-board, as indicated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, where a portion of a second unit is shown. The device is arranged to be operated when the knitting machine is not in operation, but it may be operated when the knitting machine is using cotton preliminary to using the silk. To operate the device the crank handle 13 is turned, and through the gears 12 and 16, the shaft l5, the bevel gears 17 and the bevel gears 26, the screws 25 are caused to turn. Due to the fact that said screws are threaded through theA openings 24 1,949,620 f Y y in the upstanding portions 23 of the bracket member 22, the said bracket member is raised. At the same time, the fluid container 28, which `is positioned within said bracket, is also raised until it assumes the position shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 1. When in said position, the fluid therein flows through the oval perforations of the silk jar and thoroughly conditions the silk in about fifteen seconds time. After said time interval has elapsed, the crank handle 13 is turned in the opposite direction to lower the bracket 22 and the fluid container. The cones of silk will now be in a properly moistened condition to complete a full set of stockings.

In lorder to simplify the proper operation of the device, the water bowl may be provided with a scale to indicate the height of water required therein for different numbers of cones of silk.

When the fluid container is raised so that the cones are submerged in water, if no locking means were provided for the cones, the latter would be buoyed upwardly by the water and would cause trouble. To prevent this occurrence the locking members illustrated in Fig. 5 are provided to hold the cones rmly ontheir sup,-

port.

In the ordinary con-e of silk the lower portion of the silk is above the baseof the cone, leaving a space therebetween in which the unwindir'i'g thread can catch to interrupt the knittingoperation. To take care of this diiiiculty the dejpressed portion 37 has been provided in the lower portions of the jars for receiving the low-3l er ends or" the cones. The perforated'sponge mats 49, which are positioned on the bottoms of the jars, cushion the silk and ll up the small such is the case, all of the jars must be DB1" forated. In the form shown, provision is made for two cones of cotton in the end jars. These jars are not perforated, as itis not desirable to have the cotton moistened.` Y Although only one form of the devicev has been shown and described, it is obvious that various modifications, other than that mentioned in the paragraph above, may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, Yand it is to be understood that all Vsuch changes are contemplated as may properly come `within the scope of the claims. Y

What I claim is:

l. A thread moistening device for a knitting machine, comprising a receptacle for supporting a cop therewithin, a fluid receptacle, means for moving said fluid receptacleto cause immersion of the cop in the fluid in said fluid receptacle, and means for locking said cop in feeding position to said cop receptacle with the bottom of the cop closely adjacent the bottom of the receptacle, said means preventing said cop from being buoyed up by the uid when immersed therein.

2. A thread moistening device for a knitting machine, comprising a receptacle, means extend'- having means on its upper end for engaging the upper end of said cop and having its other end adapted to pass within said cop and provided with means for releasably engaging the cop supporting means at a point intermediate of the height of the cop and within the latter.

3. A thread moistening device for a knitting machine, comprising a support for mounting a cop in feeding position, a fluid receptacle, and screw means for moving said fluid receptacle to cause moistening of a cop on said support.

4. A thread moistening device for a knitting machine, comprising a support for mounting a cop in feeding position, a fluid receptacle, a bracket member carrying said fluid receptacle, a screw threaded in said bracket, and means for rotating said screw to move said bracket and fluid receptacle upwardly to immerse the cop on said cop support in the fluid in said fluid receptacle.

5. A thread moistening device, comprising a support for mounting a cop in feeding position, a fluid receptacle, a bracket member carrying said fluid receptacle, a screw threaded in said bracket member, a bevel gear on said screw, a shaft journaled at right angles to said screw, a bevel gear on said shaft engaging the bevel gear on said screw, and means for rotating said shaft to cause rotation of the screw and upward movement of the bracket member and iiuid receptacle to immerse the cop on the cop support in the fluid in said iiuid receptacle.

6. A thread moistening device for a knitting machine requiring both moistened and unmoistened thread comprising an outer casing, a pair of cop supporting receptacles, one of which is constructed to prevent access of iiuid and the other of which is constructed to permit access of uid, means for removably and interchangeably mounting said cop receptacles in said casing in a fixed feeding position, and fluid applying means within said casing for bringing fluid in contact with said cop supporting receptacles.

7. A thread moistening device for a knitting machine requiring both moistened and unmoistened thread comprising an outer casing, a plurality of cop supporting receptacles, some of which are constructed to prevent access of fluid and some of which are constructed to permit access of fluid, means for removably interchangeably mounting said cop receptacles in said casing in a fixed feeding position, and fluid applying means within said casing for bringing fluid in contact with said cop supporting receptacles.

8. A thread moistening device for a knitting machine comprising, a fixed perforated receptacle for supporting a cop in fixed feeding position therewithin, a fluid receptacle, and means for moving said fluid receptacle to bring the fluid therewithin in contact with the perforated receptacle to cause moistening of a cop therewithin without changing the position of said cop.

9. A thread moistening device comprising, a support for mounting a cop in feeding position, a bracket member having upturned ends provided with vertically extending threaded bores, a fluid receptacle supported within said bracket member,

ment of the bracket member and fluid receptacle to immerse the cop on the cop support in the fluid in said receptacle.

CHARLES POKORA. 

